The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3)(39)

Jason stopped amidships and leaned against the rail. The moonlight turned his blond hair silver.

“Thanks, Pipes,” he said. “You saved me again.”

He put his arm around her waist. She thought about the day they’d fallen into the Grand Canyon—the first time she’d learned that Jason could control the air. He’d held her so tightly, she could feel his heartbeat. Then they’d stopped falling and floated in midair. Best. Boyfriend. Ever.

She wanted to kiss him now, but something held her back.

“I don’t know if Percy will trust me anymore,” she said. “Not after I let his horse knock him out.”

Jason laughed. “Don’t worry about that. Percy’s a nice guy, but I get the feeling he needs a knock on the head every once in a while.”

“You could have killed him.”

Jason’s smile faded. “That wasn’t me.”

“But I almost let you,” Piper said. “When Gaea said I had to choose, I hesitated and…”

She blinked, cursing herself for crying.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Jason said. “You saved us both.”

“But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl—”

“I don’t accept that. We’re going to stop Gaea. All seven of us are going to come back alive. I promise you.”

Piper wished that he hadn’t promised. The word only reminded her of the Prophecy of Seven: an oath to keep with a final breath.

Please, she thought, wondering if her mom, the goddess of love, could hear her. Don’t let it be Jason’s final breath. If love means anything, don’t take him away.

As soon as she had made the wish, she felt guilty. How could she stand to see Annabeth in that kind of pain if Percy died? How could she live with herself if any of the seven demigods died? Already, each of them had endured so much. Even the two new Roman kids, Hazel and Frank, whom Piper barely knew, felt like kin. At Camp Jupiter, Percy had recounted their trip to Alaska, which sounded as harrowing as anything Piper had experienced. And from the way Hazel and Frank tried to help during the exorcism, she could tell they were brave, good people.

“The legend that Annabeth mentioned,” she said, “about the Mark of Athena…why didn’t you want to talk about it?”

She was afraid Jason might shut her out, but he just lowered his head like he’d been expecting the question. “Pipes, I don’t know what’s true and what’s not. That legend…it could be really dangerous.”

“For who?”

“All of us,” he said grimly. “The story goes that the Romans stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when the Romans conquered the Greeks’ cities.”

Piper waited, but Jason seemed lost in thought.

“What did they steal?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not sure anyone in the legion has ever known. But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Rome and hidden there. The children of Athena, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. They’ve always stirred up their brethren against the Romans. Like I said, I don’t know how much of that is true—”

“But why not just tell Annabeth?” Piper asked. “She’s not going to suddenly hate you.”

He seemed to have trouble focusing on her. “I hope not. But the legend says that the children of Athena have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they’re led to Rome by some sign…the Mark of Athena.”

“If Annabeth is one of those searchers…we should help her.”

Jason hesitated. “Maybe. When we get closer to Rome, I’ll tell her what little I know. Honest. But the story, at least the way I heard it—it claims that if the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they’d never forgive us. They’d destroy the legion and Rome, once and for all. After what Nemesis told Leo, about Rome’s being destroyed five days from now…”

Piper studied Jason’s face. He was, without a doubt, the bravest person she’d ever known, but she realized he was afraid. This legend—the idea that it might tear apart their group and level a city—absolutely terrified him.

Piper wondered what could have been stolen from the Greeks that would be so important. She couldn’t imagine anything that would make Annabeth suddenly turn vengeful.

Then again, Piper couldn’t imagine choosing one demigod’s life over another, and today on that deserted road, just for a moment, Gaea had almost tempted her.…

“I’m sorry, by the way,” Jason said.

Piper wiped the last tear from her face. “Sorry for what? It was the eidolon who attacked—”

“Not about that.” The little scar on Jason’s upper lip seemed to glow white in the moonlight. She’d always loved that scar. The imperfection made his face much more interesting.

“I was stupid to ask you to contact Reyna,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Oh.” Piper looked up at the clouds and wondered if her mother, Aphrodite, was somehow influencing him. His apology seemed too good to be true.

But don’t stop, she thought. “Really, it’s okay.”

“It’s just…I never felt that way toward Reyna,” Jason said, “so I didn’t think about its making you uncomfortable. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Pipes.”